


Pistachio & Mint

by applestain



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship Stuff, Gen, I Don't Even Know, this is pretty short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 01:57:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17356775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/applestain/pseuds/applestain
Summary: It's been a while since Tim had been reunited with Kon, but there is still some lingering uneasiness between them because Tim isn't quite sure how to behave or how to accept that he's back.





	Pistachio & Mint

　　　❝— _**Stop** _ standing behind me, it’s creeping me out.❞ Kon’s hand was large enough to cover Tim’s shoulder. While he remained on the slender side, there was a considerable amount of muscle mass growing on Tim’s body since the last time they had seen each other. Fully aware of the changes in his best friend’s physique and mannerisms, right down to the sharp intakes of breath Tim took whenever he was even mildly annoyed, Conner still kept his grip on him in a relatively cautious manner. ❝Makes me think you’ll stab me or something.❞

　　　

　　　The comment had been added, half a mumble and half a joke, trying to lighten the mood. Conner could tell that Tim was still a bit out of sorts, maybe he hadn’t fully come to terms with the status quo. And he couldn’t quite blame him for it.

　　　

　　　Tim had been staring incessantly at the black of Conner’s shirt before he had been snapped out of his daze by the shove forward. The chatter around them flooded in, first as a buzz then an indistinct choir of conversations. ❝What are you having, wonder bread?❞ Kon’s voice stood out, he wasn’t the slightest bit annoyed but the same couldn’t be said about the staff behind the frozen yoghurt stand. The line behind them was staggering and the impatience in the woman attending could be measured in the beats she formulated with each bounce of her leg.  
　　　

　　　❝I - uh…❞ Tim hesitated and glanced up at the menu, picking the first thing in sight just to move things along. ❝Pistachio.❞ He hated pistachio, and the raise of Conner’s brow only let him know that he was well aware of it too. But almost as soon as it had been uttered from his lips, someone in the back already grabbed a sprinkle frosted cone, the standard for the shop, and had begun the machine.

　　　

　　　❝Chocolate mint.❞ Conner interjected soon after with his own order, then slid off to the side and leaned with his back against the counter while the frozen dessert was prepared. Silence permeated between them, but the food court was anything but quiet. Children screamed, others knelt on their chairs, reaching and hoping to steal fries from their siblings while along the crowded aisles custodians worked quietly, earbuds blasting at full volume to clean up the mess of the careless customers spending their afternoon at the mall.

　　　

　　　❝You okay, buddy?❞ Conner broke the silence, but he had to lean in just a bit to make sure his friend had heard him. ❝You’re not sick. _**I can tell.**_ ❞ Though anyone else might have been disturbed by how casually Conner boasted about how easily he could ‘read’ him, Tim found it to be a saving grace.

　　　

　　　He liked to talk when they were younger. Their banter was something he dreamt of often and even rehearsed in the shower. Tim was clever, witty, and took pride in his own humor - albeit it was a bit dry for most people their age, but Conner grew into it quickly. While they hadn’t always gotten along, the pair of them grew together. Grew enough to be nearly inseparable. These days, Tim found himself just an ounce slower and considerably more tired. ❝I’m -❞ Tim snapped his mouth shut, their cones were held parallel to one another while the woman looked at them exasperatedly waiting for them to take them. It didn’t seem that Conner had heard her speaking, or maybe he just planned to ignore her.

　　　

　　　Spinning on his heel, the action was much more fluid than Tim had expected, but he watched Conner reach for both and carefully try not to crush them. ❝Here ya go. _**Bon calamity**_.❞ Conner grinned down at him, handing Timothy the chocolate mint instead of the pistachio. ❝You thought she was cute. That’s why you tripped, huh?❞ He swung his arm around Tim’s shoulder while he casually licked the green swirl at the top of his cone and lead him back toward the other side of the mall, away from the food court.

　　　

　　　Admittedly, there was some sort of comfort gained from the weight of Kon’s arm on his shoulders and Tim almost immediately slumped them. ❝Shut up, I don’t even remember what color shirt she was wearing.❞ Tim retorted, and took a lick of his own cone, the mint immediately began to cool his tongue. It was an odd sensation not everyone appreciated but it happened to be Tim’s favorite flavor.

　　　

　　　❝Yeah, sure. That’s why she had you all like - ‘p-pisatashio!❞ He mocked, already crunching the edges of the cone between his front teeth. He hadn’t even finished the pile of frozen yoghurt he had on top of it but Conner was too eager to get to the ‘next best part’.

　　　

　　　❝You’d wear that.❞ Tim pointed to a shop window after they had taken a momentary stop in their journey around the second floor. Behind the casing was a leather jacket, paired with a cowboy hat and feathered scarf. It was a massacre on display and Conner openly showed his disgust for it.

　　　

　　　❝— _ **Oh, hell no**_ . YOU’D wear it. I’ve seen you. I’ve seen your **_stupid_**  disguises. Mesh shirt, really? _**Really?**_ ❞

　　　

　　　❝Well, at least I didn’t grow out some stupid prepubescent goatee.❞  
　　　

　　　❝You  _ **totally**_ did!❞

　　　

　　　❝It was **_glued_**  on. I  ** _didn't actually_** grow it!❞

　　　

　　　❝GLUED on?! Like REAL hair that  ** _wasn't_** yours?!❞

　　　

　　　There was a pause, their lips twisted and noses crinkled trying to hold it in until both laughed. Conner’s ice cream was gone, and Tim’s had been inhaled so hastily during their conversation he had to have Conner pat his back to keep him from choking while he continued trying to laugh.

　　　

　　　Teary eyed and feeling the weight off his chest, Tim looked over at his best friend while they leaned back in the electronics section of a department store, watching an infomercial on repeat on the ‘world’s flattest flat-screen’. ❝Sorry about spacing out on you before.❞

　　　

　　　Conner let out a sigh, and for a moment, he wasn’t sure if it was made especially long in exaggeration or if it was in preparation for a big speech. Gladly, he didn’t have to wait too long to find out. ❝Hey, I told you before. I get it. _**I know.**_ ❞ Kon didn’t turn back to look at Tim, maybe granting him a moment’s privacy since he could probably hear Tim’s heart rattling on with a bit of anxiety. The specific rhythm let Kon recognize his emotion. ❝ We’ll get to it. Maybe things won’t be like they were before. But that’s okay. _**We're okay.**_ ❞

　　　

　　　Tim looked away, and down at the sofa they were sitting on with the price tag at the very end of the armrest. ❝Thanks.❞ Tim spoke in a whisper, but knew Kon heard him loud and clear and this time, he gave his shoulder a squeeze.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a drabble for my Tim RP. It was a prompt from my RP partner that plays Jason. And I was pretty excited to do this one since I'm a fan of tim and kon's friendship. I hope it came out well and not weird. Anyway, constructive criticism is welcome.  
> Plus any comments at all. Thanks :)


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